Toothbrush



Apr. I7, W23. rmszm J. H. CARTER Filed July 1 1921 Patented. Apr. l7,E923.

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. JQHH E. GARTER, OF CUHQES, YORK.

TOUTEIEIJBRUSH.

Application filed July 1, 1921. Serial H0. 481,889.

T 0 all whom it may concern: i

. Be 'it known that I, Jenn H. CARTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at C0- hoes, in the county of Albany and .State of New York,have invented new and useful Improvements in Toothbrushes, of which thefollowingis a specification.

This invention relates to tooth brushes and has for its object theproduction of a brush in which the cleansing element is constructedalong scientific lines which adapt it for use in simultaneouslycleansing the teeth and massaging the'gums.

To this end the invention concerns itself with the construction of atooth brush having a head provided with a central. series of tufts ofbristles and a marginal series of tufts of bristles which together notas a cleansing element but which are so differentiated incharacteristics as to particularly adapt the central series of tufts ofbristles to be used onthe teeth while the marginal series of tuftsismore suitably constructed for massage of the soft parts of the oralcavity adjacent to the teeth.

*It is well recognized that much of the' disease of the soft tissue of.the mouth and tit) the disintegration of tooth structure are due notmerely to neglect. of cleansing, but in a large measure to lack ofstimulative exercise on account of the soft character of the food towhich modern civilized dietetics has accustomed them. The side walls ofthe teeth and gums are the parts more acutely afi'ected by thisdeficiency of exercise.

, In the treatment of diseases of the teeth and gums it has beenrecommended that articles difficult of mastification, such as bran orother fibrous material, be eaten to supply the stimulation necessary tothe vitality of the parts, but, since it is more difficult to change thesystem of diet than it is to provide an artificial means for supplyingthe needed stimulation, the tooth brush forming the subject of thisinvention has. been evolved for the accomplishment of the latter purpose1 In the drawings Figure 1 is a planview of a. tooth brush embodyingthe. invention. as seen from the at the center of the head back.

Figure 2 is a similar view from the front. Figure 3 is a cross sectionalview taken along the line 3-3 of e 2.

Figure 4 shows a racer with the (shownin cross section) applied theretoin three different positions. v

igure 5 is a view of an anterior lower tooth with the brush pplied tothe lingual surface thereof.

Referring in detail to the drawings thenumeral represents the handle ofthe tooth brush which is constructed preferably of a celluloidcomposition and is bent through a slight are as shown in Figure 3 forcon-- venience in the use ofthe same. The width of the handle is reducedforming a neck portion as at and terminates in a widened oval headportion 3 in which the tufts of bristles are anchored. A row of'holes ais bored in one face-of the head portionadjacent the margin of thelatter following the curvature of said head and diverging outwardly atan angle of about 30 t'osaidface. -Within the curvature of the seriesofholes adjacent the margin of the head and running in a longitudinaldirection are a. plurality of rows of holes 5 bored perpendicularlythrough the head portion of the tooth brush. In the holes thus formedare anchored tufts of bristles 5 and 6 sufficiently separated one fromanother to be self cleansing. Those tufts which are locatedin thelongitudinal holesare substantially perpendicular to the anteriorsurface of the brush and are about of an inch in height. The tuftssecured in the row of holes adjacent the margin of the head extend at anangle of about 30 to the er- 7 pendicular and are about one half an inchin height so that the ends of the bristles of. both series liesubstantially in a plane parallel to the anterior surface of the head ofthe brush. The tufts in the marginal row of. holes'are more flexiblethan those in the longitudinal rows of holes or inner! unit which latterare relatively stiff. The size of the head of the brush is such that thetufts of brush gums in more or less fixed relation thereto 31 while therotary movement of the cleansing act is being performed, and arealternately bowed and straightened from one side of the brush around theend to the other side, forming a resilient support for the brush whilethe stiff portion thereof at the center is being translated over thesurfaces, of the teeth. This makes. the rotary movement of the brushmuch easier of accomplishment than in the ordinary tooth brush whichslides bodily over the teeth, and the shape of the bristle portionprevents the brush being poked with hurting violence into the softertissues of the check or gumas frequently happens with the long narrowtype of tooth brush. Moreover the broad oval form of the bristle portionand the divergent dlsposition of the tufts of bristles interposes alarger number of resilient tufts between the end of the brush and thetissues into Contact with which it may be pushed thus acting as aneffective buffer to prevent bruising of the parts.' The soft tufts aredesigned also to enter the crevice portions of the sides of the teethand to cleanse and stimulate the gingival (gum) margin and the adjacentsoft tissue, thereby causing fresh arterial blood to flow to the partsbuilding u a resistance to bacterial invasion. The tufts of bristlesprojecting beyond the end of the brush are adapted to extend beyond thewisdom (3rd molar) teeth to the posterior surface thereof whichtheuordinary tooth brush will not reach. v I V Figures 4 and 5'represent more or less diagrammatically several special uses of myimproved tooth brush in which a: represents the tooth y the gum and athe alveolar process. In the full line position A of Figure l the stiffbristle tufts are shown in cleansing engagement with the occlusalsurface of a molar. In dotted line position B, the tooth brushv is shownin cross section tilted at an angle with the flexible marginal tufts incleansing engagement with the side face of the tooth and the margin ofthe gum. In the dotted line position C, the same brush is shownwith-the, stiff tufts in contact with the side face of the tooth and.the flexible tufts in massaging relation to the gum. In

Figure 5 is shown a lower front tooth with the brush in position Dhaving the flexible end tufts in engagement with the lingual surface ofthe tooth and the marginal portion of the gum.

While I have above described what I have found to be a very practicalembodiment of my invention, it is nevertheless to be understood thatthetooth brush ma exemplified in numerous other a ternative constructionsand I accordingly reserve the right of adopting all such legitimatechanges as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. A brush comprising a handle having a substantially oval head which issubstantially elliptical in cross section, stifi' tufts of also bebristles carried by the central portion of one alleli'sm, and a. seriesof more flexible tufts carried by said head adjacent the margin thereofand extendlng in divergent relation to the tuftsv of said first-namedseries of tufts. a

3. In a brush, a handle having at one end a substantially oval shapedhead provided with a rounded face, and tufts of bristles projecting fromsaid rounded face, said tufts comprising a central series of stiffbristles extending substantially perpendicular to the plane of saidhead, and a. second series of more flexible tufts extending from saidrounded face adjacent one edge of the latter and substantially radiallyto the curvature of said roundedface.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set w my hand in presence of asubscribing witness.

JOHN H. CARTER.

Witness:

MARIE CARTER.

